Production Chef & Program Manager

Posted on

Summary:

Food Shift is a project of Earth Island Institute and is dedicated to building sustainable solutions that reduce food waste and hunger. We are launching an exciting new initiative — Alameda Kitchen — that will reduce waste, feed people, and create jobs. The Production Chef & Program Manager will play a critical role in shaping this program.

The Alameda Kitchen will be housed at Alameda Point Collaborative (APC), a housing community for formerly homeless individuals and families in the City of Alameda. Alameda Kitchen will train/employ residents to cook healthy meals and food products out of high quality surplus produce that would otherwise go to waste. The food products such as soups, dried fruit, and smoothies that are produced in the kitchen will be sold to local businesses and donated to food assistance agencies.

The Production Chef & Program Manager will be collaborating with APC to design the culinary training program for their residents. APC has an existing On-The-Job (OJT) training program in which residents work 18 hours/week on site, such as in the APC career center or farm. Starting in mid 2016, OJT residents may enroll to work in the Alameda Kitchen with Food Shift. The Production Chef & Program Manager will be responsible for coming up with weekly food products based on surplus food availability, as well as training and supervising OJTs in safely and effectively producing these products.

The ideal candidate is a dynamic chef with a passion for working with individuals from diverse backgrounds, has experience teaching and training others in cooking, has good managerial and administrative skills, and is compassionate, patient, and light-hearted. While Food Shift is aiming to source fairly consistent quantities and types of surplus produce, we are looking for a candidate who is creative, resourceful, and can have fun improvising in their cooking as unexpected ingredients arise! This is a start-up atmosphere, so the chef must be flexible and able to stay on task but change with the routine and flow of a start-up as needed. This is a chance to get in on the ground-floor of an innovative and successful nonprofit that is growing quickly. . . which is why we need you!

Responsibilities:

Program Planning: Start date- mid 2016 (program launch)

Building upon Food Shift’s research, Chef will coordinate and apply for food production permits and licenses as needed.

With support from Food Shift team, and based on buyer interests, use surplus produce to propose, test, and finalize recipes and products for distribution.

To apply, please send a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to Food Shift’s Director at jobs@foodshift.net. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage applicants to apply as soon as possible.

Earth Island Institute provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.